The IRL produced breath taking side by side high speed racing, with incredibly close finishes that will never be duplicated. To top it off, many of the drivers came from a USAC background. It was awesome to see guys that I saw run Eldora & Terre Haute like Tony Stewart, Billy Boat, Donnie Beechler, Brian Tyler and other short trackers get a chance at Indy. Even Steve Kinser & Jack Hewitt got an opportunity. But the CART people, their big money sponsors and the media was against the IRL from the very start and the pockets of 16th & Georgetown were only so deep. Now it's just a memory.